Having a midlife crisis is something that can easily break a loving family apart, though some families can go through it and still face no problems. It is human for someone facing a midlife crisis to feel frustrated, which leads them to cause misunderstandings and trouble with their spouses and other family members.
Surviving your partner’s midlife crisis requires you to have great perseverance, understanding, and self-sacrifice.
You may have a lot of reasons that may seem genuine enough for you to give up on the relationship, but you should consider giving your spouse a chance since it might be a phase and may end up strengthening your union. Here are some tips on how you can navigate life with your partner facing a midlife crisis.
Put Your Focus on Your Children
If you have children, you should know that what is going on at home will affect their lives significantly. It would be best if you made sure that your children are not subjected to the trouble your partner may be causing you. You should acknowledge that you cannot control what your spouse does or what he or she is thinking.
What you can control is what you do and how you feel. Thinking about your partner’s midlife crisis all the time will negatively affect your life. It would be tough for children if both of their parents are always in a bad situation. It would be best if you focused on giving your kids a good life.
Listen Without Giving Judgement
It is important to note that when your partner tries to open up and have a conversation with you, you should try your best not to judge them (at least not to their faces). Listen to them and do not force them to see things from your perspective.
Someone going through a midlife crisis should be allowed to figure it out themselves rather than condemning them. If you don’t have anyone to have a conversation with, talk to someone online that may be in the same situation than you. This person can be a perfect new match for you. You never know.
Get into Therapy
If you and your spouse are having trouble at home, you should consider therapy as it might help save your marriage. You should first make sure that both of you are willing to give therapy a try rather than forcing your partner into going for the sessions.
Getting advice from your friends or other family members may be helpful sometimes, but this is not always the right choice. Family and friends might end up giving the wrong advice that may add more problems than before. It is vital to make sure that you only get help from a fully certified therapist to ensure that you get the much help that you both needs.
Process Your Anger in a Healthy Way
Though anger is expected in situations where your partner is going through a midlife crisis, you should try to control it. Lashing out at your partner might help some people feel better, but it would be only for a limited time. Directly confronting your spouse may not be the solution to changing their behaviour while undergoing a midlife crisis, and it may cause your relationship to worsen even more.
Conclusion
It would help if you never allowed yourself to suffer because of your spouse facing a midlife crisis. You should learn to put your well being and that of your children first in these situations.
Featured Image | Sasha Freemind on Unsplash
*This is a collaborative post
